Gas-engine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. 0. W. BALDWIN. GAS ENGINE.

N0.'434,.171. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Slieets-Sheet 3.

C. W. BALDWIN.

GAS ENGINE. No. 434,171.. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

Q I E 5; Q) a\ a? CYRUS \V. llALDlVIN, OF YONKEHS, NIUV YORK.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,171,

dated August 12, 1890.

Application filed February 13,1890. Serial No. 340,319. (No model.)

To all, 71/71 0771 it may concern:

Be it known that I, Uvnos W. BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York,have inventcdccrtain new and useful 'lmprovemel'its in Gas-Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in gas-engines, fully setforth hereinafter, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1. is an elevation of a gas-engine embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the cylinder portion.Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the rear cylinder-head. Fig. -t is asection on the line t 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view inperspective, illustrating; one construction of the diaphragm.

The cylinder A of the engine is provided with the usual water-jacket, isclosed at the end and receives the piston l), the chamber at the rightof which in the cylinder constitutes the explosion-chamber, while thatat the left is the pump-chamber, as in the engine patented to meSeptember 1, 1885, No. 325,37 7. Below the explosion and pump chambers,within the casing of the cylinder, is an air-chamber X, thatcommunicates with a valve-casing 13, having inlet air-ports it, closedby spring-seated. valves 15, the said chamber X also communicating Witha port 17, closed by the valve it? in a passage or port 3 leading to theend of the explosionchamber, A port or passage 19, commuuicat ing withchamber X, is controlled by a valve 5, operated by the governor of theengine, and a port 2 constitutes communication between the pump end ofthe cylinder and its chamber X. A easing I, of any suitableconstruction, preferably circular and deeper at the center than at theperiphery, and consisting of two concave disks 20 21, clamped together,is separated by a flexible diaphragm 22 into two chambers :11 1 Thediaphragm 32 may be of rubber, leather, prepared fabric, or likeflexible material, or it may consist of a plate or disk of thin copperor other metal, flat or stamped, or spun to form a series of concentriccorrugations, as illustrated in Fig. 5, or it may be a piston sliding inthe casing, the chamber X above the diaphragm communicating th rough aport 10, su rrounded by a tubular guard 9, with the chamber 113-;

while the chamber 1 below the diaphragm, communicates through a port (3with the gassupply pipe 33, within which is a check-valve 24, openingupward. As shown, the diaphragm is a flat sheet of metal, amt a rubberor other gasket 4-0 is clamped between the parts of the casing and is ofsuch thickness as to prevent the edge of the disk from being hold tightand allows a slight play that prevents danger of fracture from repeatedbending. Within the casing lare two perforated guards 4] it, from movinginto contact with the inner faces of the casing'and define the limits ofits play in opposite directions. By leaving a space between thediaphragm aml the inside of the casing the air and gas act. equally atall times over the entire surface, which would not be the case if thediaphragm were broughtagainst the inner faces of thecasing,graduallyclosing the ports. it will be evident that guards ot'ditlercut eonstructi ms may be used to thus limit the play of thediaphragm or piston. The chamber 1 also t-ommnnicatos with a port 7,provided with a valve 8, opening upward into a casing 12, inclosing achamber and which communicates through a pipe 11 with an annular chamberr, surrounding the port 17, and terminating in an annular soles of ports(or in an annular port) 35, close by the valve 18, which is held down bya spring 20, so as only to rise when the pressure below it exceeds that.of the pressure above it.

A guard l3 extends over the port it), amt a screw-rod 25, extending fromoutside of the easing into the tube it, serves as a means of regulatingthe passage of gas through the tube to the chamber. r.

The piston l) is connected, as usual, to the crank of the driving-shaft,and the governor is connected with the valve 5 in such man.- ner as toopen the latter to the full, allowing the air to pass in and out freelyas the speed of the engine unduly i ncreases,aml the cylinder isprovided with an exhaust-port. u, arranged to be uncovered by the pistonas he latter approaches the termination of its forward stroke. \Vhon thepiston moves back, the valve 5 being closed, (which is its positionduring the normal operation of the on which prevent the diaphragm gine,)the air is drawn into the pump end of the cylinder through the ports14-, the valves lifting to permit it to How inavard, but closing as thepiston reaches the end of its back-stroke. The decreased pressure in thechamber X, resulting from the exhausting action of the piston during itsback-stroke, causes the diaphragm :32 to rise, thereby drawing a volumeof gas into the chamber 7 the valve 2t lifting to permit the inflow ofgas, but seating itself as soon as the gas ceases to llow upward. (inthe forward motion of the piston the air is compressed in the chambers X.r, the diaphragm is forced downward, compressing the gas in theehambery, and forcing it from said chamber through the port 7 (liftingthe valve h) into the chamber f3, tube 1 l, and chamber 1*. The pressureof the exploded gases in the explosion-ehamber holds the valve 1 downand (entities the air and gas in their respective chambers underpressure until the piston l passes the port a, when the gases will rushfrom the explosionchamber rapidly, tendingto create a vacuum therein, sothat the valve 18 will be lifted by the superior pressure underneath,and the air and gas will pass together into and be mixed in the port orchannel 23, and will thence flow into the rear of the exilosioil-chamber, but before reaching theexhaust-port u the returnmovement of the piston will close said port and the air and gas will becompressed until the piston reaches the limit of its backward movement,after which they will be ignited and again drive the piston forward.

It will be seen that while the chambers in the casing I are incommunication with the air-chamber X and gas-supp] y pipe, the saidcasing is exposed outside of the cylinder so as to be accessible, andbeing divided the parts thereof may be readily separated to permitaccess to the diaphragm if it should be necessary for repairs, suchconstruction further facilitating the application of the casing and itsdiaphragm in gas-engines heretofore made and provided with air-chambers.It will be soon, also, that such application to existing engines isfacilitated by constructing the casing 12 and the parts connectedtherewith aud with the valve 18 as part of a detachable casing J,adapted to be titted to the under side of the cylinder, as shown.

By providing the chamber between the chamber I/ and the port 3 with aeheck-valveS the gas is stored and retained under pressure and thediaphragm :22 is left free to act under the influence of the varyingpressure in the air-chamber.

It will be seen thatthediaphragm :32 serves as a pump to draw in the airand gas; but instead of being operated positively and directly by themoving; part of the engine it is vibrated by means of thevaryingprcssure in the pump or pump end of the cylinder.

' in order to prevent the oil used in lnln'icatthe parts from beingdischarged through port 151 or carried into the port 10,1 provide theguards 13 and t), which in tcrfere with the direct currents to saidports.

The charges may be ignited by any of the usual forms of ignitingdevices. I prefer, however, to use in this connection a [tameignitor,the construction of which I will now describe.

Opposite the port 3 in the rear head of the cylinder is the usualdeflecting-plate 31, and with the port communicates a side port 32, towhich is titted a valve 33, which is on erated through suitableconnections by a cam upon the crankshaft so constructed as to open thevalve when the charge is to be ignited, hold it open u til :"re wastegases are exhausted and until the new charge enters the cylinder, and tothen close it before the new charge is compressed. Such a cam isillustrated at L, Fig. 1,and the connections are in the form of areciprocatingrod 134, jointed to one arm of a rock-shaft 35, the otherarm of which is jointed to the stem of the valve 33, which passesthrough a packing box 34. While the bevel face 23 closes the port 32 thebody of the valve traverses a port 132, communicating with anigniting-tube N, which is surrounded by a chimney M, the said chimneyhaving an interior lining 3t of asbestos or other non-conductingmaterial, and a sheet 37 of said material being clamped below the loweredge of the chimney and its bearing on the head of the cylinder.

The igniting-tube is constructed preferably of a pipe threaded at oneend to titat-hreaded socket in a nipple 38, screwing into the socket inthe head of the cylinder, while the other end is threaded to receive ascrew-cap 3.), which closes the end t r the tube; but the end of thetube. may be weided or closed in any suitable way. A burner 1.39 is anordinary Bunsen burner so arranged that; the flame may play against; andheat the tube, and the latter, it will be seen, is arranged in the head30 in close proximity to the port. 3, so that the gases will readilypass into the tube as they flow toward the cylinder. Inasmuch as thevalve 33 is open from the time when the charge is ignited until thespent; gases are exhausted and is closed before any pressure is impartedto the gases in the cylinder by the back-stroke of the piston, thenormal press ure in the igniting-tube, except just prior to ignition,does not exceed that of the atmosphere, so that when the tube is openthe new charge will enter it more readily, while the complete closing ofthe tube during the entrance of the new charge into the cylinder anduntil the charge is compressed prevents pr(miat:nre explosion.

\Vhile I have shown the particular form of valve and valveopera ngdevices I do not limit myscl to these constructions, as they may bevaried withoutdeparting from the main feat u res of my invention.

Without limitiu g myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I claim- 1. The combination, with the explosionchamber andair-pump chamber of a gas-engine, of an independent casing containing achamber divided by a movable diaphragm into two chambers, one connectedwith the airchamber and the other communicating with the gas-inlet andalso with the inlet-port of the explosion-chamber, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination, with the cylinder of a gas-engine and with theair-pump and airchamber of the engine, of a casing external to saidcylinder divided by a movable diaphragm into two chambers, onecommunicating with the air-chamber and the other with the gas-inletprovided with a check-valve, and both the air and gas chamberscommunicating with the inlet-port of the explosion-chamber of thecylinder, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the cylinder of a gas-engine, its air-chamberX, and air-inlet ports and valves, of an external casing I, divided by amovable diaphragm into two chambers, one communicating with theairchamber X and the other with the gas-inlet pipe and with theinlet-port of the explosionchamber, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the cylinder of a gas-en gin e, its air-chamberand inlet-port and valve, and the casing I, divided bya movablediaphragm, gas-inlet communicating with a chamber at one side of thediaphragm, and a chamber ,2, communicating with said gaschamber througha port closed by valve 8, and also communicating with the inlet-port ofthe explosion-chamber, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the cylinder of a gas-engine, of a casingcontaining a movable diaphragm arranged outside of said cylinder, and acasing J provided with the ports and passages constituting thecommunications between the air-chamber of the cylinder, the casing I,and the charge-inlet port 3, and also arranged outside of the cylinder,substantially as set forth. v

6. The combination of the casing consisting of two concave disks, adiaphragm, and detachable perforated guards on opposite sides of the(liaphragm, the diaphragm and guards extending between the concavedisks, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the sections 20 21 of the casingL, diaphragm, andgasket thicker than the diaphragm, for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, with the cylinder provided with an air-chamber X andeasing I and communicating port 10, of a shield 9, substantially as setforth.

9. The combination, with the passages and ports of a gas-engine, ofshields arranged adjacent to the ports to prevent the passage of oil tothe same, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CYRUS W. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM RILEY, EDWARD R. BORLAND.

